Transcript Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management

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Chapter 13
The Data Warehouse
Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management
4th Edition
Peter Rob & Carlos Coronel
The Need for Data Analysis
 Constant pressure from external and internal forces
requires prompt tactical and strategic decisions.
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 The decision-making cycle time is reduced, while
problems are increasingly complex with a growing
number of internal and external variables.
 Managers need support systems for facilitating quick
decision making in a complex environment.
 Decision support systems (DSS).
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The Data Warehouse
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 The Data Warehouse is an integrated,
subject-oriented, time-variant, non-volatile
database that provides support for decision
making.

Integrated


The Data Warehouse is a centralized, consolidated
database that integrates data retrieved from the
entire organization.
Subject-Oriented

The Data Warehouse data is arranged and optimized
to provide answers to questions coming from
diverse functional areas within a company.
The Data Warehouse
 Time
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
Variant
The Warehouse data represent the flow of data
through time. It can even contain projected
data.
 Non-Volatile

Once data enter the Data Warehouse, they are
never removed.

The Data Warehouse is always growing.
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Table 13.6A Comparison Of Data Warehouse And Operational
Database Characteristics
Creating A Data Warehouse
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Figure 13.3
The Data Warehouse
 Data Mart
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
A data mart is a small, single-subject data
warehouse subset that provides decision support
to a small group of people.

Data Marts can serve as a test vehicle for
companies exploring the potential benefits of
Data Warehouses.

Data Marts address local or departmental
problems, while a Data Warehouse involves a
company-wide effort to support decision making
at all levels in the organization.
DSS Architectural Styles
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Table 13.7
The Data Warehouse
 Twelve Rules That Define a Data Warehouse
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1. The Data Warehouse and operational environments
are separated.
2. The Data Warehouse data are integrated.
3. The Data Warehouse contains historical data over a
long time horizon.
4. The Data Warehouse data are snapshot data captured
at a given point in time.
5. The Data Warehouse data are subject-oriented.
6. The Data Warehouse data are mainly read-only with
periodic batch updates from operational data. No
online updates are allowed.
7. The Data Warehouse development life cycle differs
from classical systems development. The Data
Warehouse development is data driven; the classical
approach is process driven.
The Data Warehouse
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8. The Data Warehouse contains data with several levels
of detail; current detail data, old detail data, lightly
summarized, and highly summarized data.
9. The Data Warehouse environment is characterized by
read-only transactions to very large data sets. The
operational environment is characterized by numerous
update transactions to a few data entities at the time.
10. The Data Warehouse environment has a system that
traces data resources, transformation, and storage.
11. The Data Warehouse’s metadata are a critical
component of this environment. The metadata identify
and define all data elements. The metadata provide the
source, transformation, integration, storage, usage,
relationships, and history of each data element.
12. The Data Warehouse contains a charge-back
mechanism for resource usage that enforces optimal
use of the data by end users.
On-Line Analytical Processing
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 On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) is an
advanced data analysis environment that
supports decision making, business
modeling, and operations research
activities.
 Four Main Characteristics of OLAP

Use multidimensional data analysis techniques

Provide advanced database support

Provide easy-to-use end user interfaces

Support client/server architecture
On-Line Analytical Processing
 Multidimensional Data Analysis Techniques
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
The processing of data in which data are viewed
as part of a multidimensional structure.

Multidimensional view allows end users to
consolidate or aggregate data at different levels.

Multidimensional view allows a business analyst
to easily switch business perspectives.

Figure 13.4
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Figure 13.4 Operational Vs. Multidimensional View Of Sales
On-Line Analytical Processing
 Additional Functions of Multidimensional
Data Analysis Techniques
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
Advanced data presentation functions

Advanced data aggregation, consolidation, and
classification functions

Advanced computational functions

Advanced data modeling functions
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Figure 13.5 Integration Of OLAP With A Spreadsheet Program
On-Line Analytical Processing
 Advanced Database Support
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
Access to many different kinds of DBMSs, flat files, and
internal and external data sources.

Access to aggregated Data Warehouse data as well as
to the detail data found in operational databases.

Advanced data navigation features such as drill-down
and roll-up.

Rapid and consistent query response times.

The ability to map end user requests, expressed in
either business or model terms, to the appropriate data
source and then to the proper data access language.

Support for very large databases.
On-Line Analytical Processing
 Easy-to-Use End User Interface

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Easy-to-use graphical user interfaces make
sophisticated data extraction and analysis tools
easily accepted and readily used.
 Client/Server Architecture

The client/server environment enables us to
divide an OLAP system into several components
that define its architecture.
On-Line Analytical Processing
 OLAP Architecture
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

Three Main Modules

OLAP Graphical User Interface (GUI)

OLAP Analytical Processing Logic

OLAP Data Processing Logic
OLAP systems are designed to use both
operational and Data Warehouse data.
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Figure 13.7 OLAP Server Arrangement
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Figure 13.8 OLAP Server With Multidimensional Data Store Arrangement
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Figure 13.9 OLAP Server With Local Mini Data-Marts
On-Line Analytical Processing
 Relational OLAP
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
Relational On-Line Analytical Processing (ROLAP)
provides OLAP functionality by using relational
database and familiar relational query tools.

Extensions to RDBMS

Multidimensional data schema support within the
RDBMS

Data access language and query performance
optimized for multidimensional data

Support for very large databases
On-Line Analytical Processing
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Multidimensional Data Schema Support within the
RDBMS

Normalization of tables in relational technology is
seen as a stumbling block to its use in OLAP
systems.

DSS data tend to be non-normalized, duplicated,
and pre- aggregated.

ROLAP uses a special design technique to enable
RDBMS technology to support multidimensional
data representations, known as star schema.

Star schema creates the near equivalent of a
multidimensional database schema from the
existing relational database.
On-Line Analytical Processing
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
Data Access Language and Query Performance
Optimized for Multidimensional Data

Most decision support data requests require the use of
multiple-pass SQL queries or multiple nested SQL
statements.

ROLAP extends SQL so that it can differentiate between
access requirements for data warehouse data and
operational data.
Support for Very Large Databases

Decision support data are normally loaded in bulk (batch)
mode from the operational data.

RDBMS must have the proper tools to import, integrate,
and populate the data warehouse with operational data.

The speed of the data-loading operations is important.
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Figure 13.10 A Typical ROLAP Client/Server Architecture
On-Line Analytical Processing
 Multidimensional OLAP (MOLAP)

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






MOLAP extends OLAP functionality to
multidimensional databases (MDBMS).
MDBMS end users visualize the stored data as a
multidimensional cube known as a data cube.
Data cubes are created by extracting data from the
operational databases or from the data warehouse.
Data cubes are static and require front-end design
work.
To speed data access, data cubes are normally held in
memory, called cube cache.
MOLAP is generally faster than their ROLAP
counterparts. It is also more resource-intensive.
MDBMS is best suited for small and medium data sets.
Multidimensional data analysis is also affected by how
the database system handles sparsity.
MOLAP Client/Server Architecture
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Figure 13.11
Relational Vs. Multidimensional OLAP
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Table 13.8
Star Schema
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 The star schema is a data-modeling technique used
to map multidimensional decision support into a
relational database.
 Star schemas yield an easily implemented model for
multidimensional data analysis while still preserving
the relational structure of the operational database.
 Four Components:

Facts
 Dimensions
 Attributes
 Attribute hierarchies
A Simple Star Schema
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Figure 13.12
Star Schema
 Facts
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
Facts are numeric measurements (values) that
represent a specific business aspect or activity.

The fact table contains facts that are linked through
their dimensions.

Facts can be computed or derived at run-time (metrics).
 Dimensions

Dimensions are qualifying characteristics that provide
additional perspectives to a given fact.

Dimensions are stored in dimension tables.
Star Schema
 Attributes
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
Each dimension table contains attributes. Attributes are
often used to search, filter, or classify facts.

Dimensions provide descriptive characteristics about
the facts through their attributes.
Table 13.9 Possible Attributes For Sales Dimensions
Three Dimensional View Of Sales
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Figure 13.13
Slice And Dice View Of Sales
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Figure 13.14
Star Schema
 Attribute Hierarchies
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
Attributes within dimensions can be ordered in a
well-defined attribute hierarchy.

The attribute hierarchy provides a top-down data
organization that is used for two main purposes:

Aggregation

Drill-down/roll-up data analysis
A Location Attribute Hierarchy
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Figure 13.15
Attribute Hierarchies In Multidimensional Analysis
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Figure 13.16
Star Schema
 Star Schema Representation
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
Facts and dimensions are normally represented
by physical tables in the data warehouse
database.

The fact table is related to each dimension table in
a many-to-one (M:1) relationship.

Fact and dimension tables are related by foreign
keys and are subject to the primary/foreign key
constraints.
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Figure 13.17 Star Schema For Sales
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Figure 13.18 Orders Star Schema
Star Schema
 Performance-Improving Techniques
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
Normalization of dimensional tables

Multiple fact tables representing different
aggregation levels

Denormalization of fact tables

Table partitioning and replication
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Figure 13.19 Normalized Dimension Tables
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Figure 13.20
Multiple Fact Tables
Data Warehouse Implementation
 The Data Warehouse as an Active Decision
Support Network
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
A Data Warehouse is a dynamic support
framework.

Implementation of a Data Warehouse is part of a
complete database-system-development
infrastructure for company-wide decision support.

Its design and implementation must be examined
in the light of the entire infrastructure.
Data Warehouse Implementation
 A Company-Wide Effort that Requires User
Involvement and Commitment at All Levels
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
For a successful design and implementation, the
designer must:

Involve end users in the process.

Secure end users’ commitment from the beginning.

Create continuous end user feedback.

Manage end user expectations.

Establish procedures for conflict resolution.
Data Warehouse Implementation
 Satisfy the Trilogy: Data, Analysis, and
Users
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
For a successful design and implementation, the
designer must satisfy:

Data integration and loading criteria.

Data analysis capabilities with acceptable query
performance.

End user data analysis needs.
Data Warehouse Implementation
 Apply Database Design Procedures
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
Data Warehouse development is a company-wide
effort and requires many resources: people,
financial, and technical.

The sheer and often mind-boggling quantity of
decision support data is likely to require the latest
hardware and software.

It is also imperative to have very detailed
procedures to orchestrate the flow of data from the
operational databases to the Dare Warehouse.

To implement and support the Data Warehouse
architecture, we also need people with advanced
database design, software integration, and
management skills.
Data Warehouse Implementation Road Map
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Figure 13.21
A Sample Of Current Data Warehousing And
Data Mining Vendors
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Table 13.10